The present invention relates to a body construction of an industrial vehicle such as a forklift, and more specifically to an openable covering of the engine compartment and a frame structure of a cabin.
One conventional example of an industrial vehicle body construction is shown in FIG. 17. In this construction, a covering 2 of an engine compartment 1 is composed of an upper panel 3, left and right side panels 4, and a front panel 5. A rear end 3a of the upper panel 3 is hinged so that the upper panel 3 is swingable up and down on a horizontal axis. A rear end of at least one side panel 4 is supported through hinges 6 so that the side panel 4 is swingable outwardly on a vertical axis. A front end 4b of the swingable side panel 4 is provided with a striker 8 which can engage with a lock 7 provided in the front panel 5. The covering 2 openable in this way is convenient for inspection and maintenance of the engine in the engine compartment. A similar construction is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model provisional publication No. 58-30575.
However, the conventional construction of FIG. 17 is disadvantageous in the following points. When the side panel is open, the side panel is supported only at one end like a cantilever. Therefore, the hinges 6 must be strong enough to endure a moment of force of a considerable magnitude. It is difficult to reach a corner A near the hinges 6. When the side panel 4 is opened, the side panel 4 projects outwardly over a long distance. Therefore, the side panel 4 in the open position is very obstructive, and the side panel 4 cannot be opened in a narrow space. In the closed state, a great moment due to a vertical load is applied on the side panel 4 because the side panel 4 is supported at front and rear ends spaced along the longest dimension of the side panel, by the hinges 6 and the lock 7. Therefore, the side panel 4 must be sufficiently rigid. Because an axis of the hinges 6 must be substantially vertical, restraint is imposed on design of the counterweight or the like to which the hinges 6 are attached. It is difficult to seal a clearance between the lower end 4c of the side panel and the vehicle body 9 with a seal rubber for soundproofing and waterproofing because too much friction is applied on the seal rubber. Furthermore, because both of the upper panel 3 and the side panel 4 are locked and unlocked individually, the opening and closing operations of the covering 2 are troublesome. The striker 8 and the lock 7 for locking the side panel 4 are complicated in construction.
Another conventional example of an industrial vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model provisional publication No. 53-47207. In this example, a cabin is mounted on a chassis frame through a plurality of cushioning members in order to insulate the cabin from vibrations transmitted from a power unit or road wheels through the chassis frame to which the power unit and an axle member are rigidly connected. In this vehicle body, however, a floor panel is fixedly mounted on a front portion of the frame so that the power train is covered by the floor panel which can not be opened.